Back-rest for invalids.



R. HENCKE.

BACK REST FOR INVALIDSx APPLICATION FILED FEB. 23. 19.15.

Patented May 16, 1916.

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RUDOLPH HENCKE. OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

BACK-REST FOR INVALIDS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 23, 1915. Serial No. 9,768.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUDOLPH HENCKE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Back-Rests for Invalids, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to back-rests for propping up invalids or other persons in bed. i

One of the objects of the invention is a back-rest which can be placed on a bed of ordinary construction and which can be easily adjusted to support the back or head of the user at any desired height.

A furtherobjectof the invention is a back-rest which can be knocked down or collapsed into a small compass and can be stored in a small space or easily carried from place to place.

A still further object of the invention is a back-rest'which is made of resilient bars so as to afford an elastic supporting frame against which the user reclines and an elastic base frame which can adjust itself to the surface of a bed. r

'Further objects of the invention relate to the details of the construction, which are hereinafter more fully described.

Generally stated, the invention consists in a base frame and a supporting frame, each of Which is made of resilient bars pivotally connected so as to becollapsible, said frames being hinged together fiatwise at one end and being provided with adjustable props for supporting the .free end of said supporting frame fro'msaid body frame.

The invention further consists in the parts, and in the arrangements and combinations of parts, more fully set forth hereinafter;

In the accompanying drawing which forms part of this specification and inwhich like reference characters refer to like parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a perspective viewof a back-rest embodying the invention', showing said back-rest set up ready for use; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through one of the props showing. the way in which the supporting frame is supported by said props; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary cross-section through the upper cross connection of the supporting frame, showing in' elevation the hook which engages the cross-brace, said section being taken looking toward the prop opposite to the prop shown in Fig. 2 and showing part of said prop in elevation; and Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, of the lower end of one'of the props, showing the hinged connection between the prop and the base frame.

' Referring to the accompanying drawing, the back-rest comprises a base frame A and a supporting frame B which are hinged together flatwise at one end. The base frame A and the supporting frame B are substantially alike in construction. Each frame comprises two side members 1, each of which consists of two bars arrangedend to end and having their adjacent end portions adjustably overlapped. These overlapping end portions of the bars of each side member 1 are clamped together by a bolt 2 which extends through a hole in one of said bars and through'a slot in the other of said bars, said bolt 2' being fitted with a wing-nut. The side members 1 are collapsibly connected by two pairs of bars 3' which are arranged in the same plane with said side members 1 and are pivotally connected together as in the wellknown lazy-tongs construction. The bars 3 of each pair are pivotally fastened together at their'middles; and each bar 3 of each pair is pivotally secured at one end to the opposing bar of the other pair and at its other end to one end of the side members 1. Extending between each end of each side member 1 and the pivotally connected ends of the bars 3 is a pair of links 1, the adjacent ends of which are pivotally connected, and the outer ends of which are pivoted to the side members 1 and to the ends of bars 3. As shown in the accompanying drawing, the pivotal connections between the side members 1, the bars 3 and the links 4 are preferably made by single rivets, and Where said side members 1, said bars 3 and said links 4 all overlap they are pivotally connected together by the same rivet. The supporting frame 13 has a pair of links 5 which are pivotally connected at their adjacent ends and which are pivoted at their opposite ends to the middles of the bars 3 where they cross.

The base frame A and the supporting frame B are preferably hinged together at the corners and at the middleof the hinged end. At each edge of the base frame A and of the supporting frame B this hinge connection ,is preferably made by curling narrow end ortions of the corresponding bars Patented May" 16, 1316.

of the side members 1 to form matching rolls 6 which are connected by a pin 7, the ends of which are riveted over. The two frames are hinged together at their middle by a hinge 8 of ordinary construction which is fastened to the pivotally connected ends of the middle bars 3 of the base frame A and of the supporting frame B, respectively.

A block 9 (see Fig. 4) is riveted to each side member 1 of the base frame at its end opposite the hinge. These blocks have upstanding ears which are spaced apart and are arranged to receive between them the ends of rods 10, which rods are pivotally connected to the ears of said blocks by pins. Telescoping over each rod 10 is an adjustable tubular supporting rod 11. Each rod 10 and the tubular rod 11 associated therewith constitute a prop for supporting the supporting frame B from the base frame A. Each tubular rod 11 has at its lower end an enlargement or knob which has screwthreaded therein a set-screw 12 having a knurled head. By tightening the set-screws 12 the rods 10 and 11 may be clamped together in any desired position of adjustment. A collar 13 is slidably arranged on each tubular rod 11 (see Figs. 2 and 3) and these collars are provided with set-screws 14 which have knurled heads. By tightening the set-screw 14 each collar 13 may be clamped to the corresponding tubular rod 11 at any point along said rod. On the upper end of each tubular rod 11 is screwed a knob 15, which prevents the collar 13 from slipping off said rod and being lost. In each collar 13 is fixed a screw 16, and pivotally mounted at one end on the screw 16 of one collar 13 is a cross-brace 17. Near its other end the cross-brace 17 has a transverse notch 18 (see Fig. 2) in its lower edge into which the screw 16 of the other collar 13 can slip. The rod 10 and the rod 11 of each prop pass through elongated, openings 19 in the side members 1 of the supporting frame B, said openings 19 being located near the free end of said supporting frame.

The ends of the side members 1, the pivoted links 4 and the pivoted ends of the bars 3 of the supporting frame B at the free end thereof rest on the cross-brace 17 To prevent the supporting frame B from sagging at its middle under the weight of a person reclining against said supporting frame, a hook 20 is fastened to the bars 3 of said supporting frame at the upper edge thereof, said hook 20 being arranged to hook over the cross-brace 17. Secured to each side member 1 of the base frame A is a spring clip 21.

The set-screws 12 are preferably constructed so that they cannot be accidentally screwed out and lost. In the particular construction shown, the inner end of each screw-threaded hole for the set-screws 12 is enlarged or counterbored (see Fig. 4), and

after each of said set-screws has been screwed into place, its end is upset or riveted over. In order to enable the inner end of the hole for each set-screw 12 to be counterbored, a hole is bored in line with the hole for the set-screw 12, and through this hole may be introduced the tool by which the end of the set-screw is upset. A like construction is used for preventing the set-screws 14 from being screwed out of the collars 13, the holes bored in line with the holes for the setscrews 14 in this case being occupied by the screws 16.

The back-rest hereinbefore described is simple in construction and can be cheaply made. The base frame A is resilient and can adjust itself to the surface of the bed so that the Whole back-rest will not rock or tilt under the weight of the user. The support ing frame B is also made of resilient bars which will yield under the weight of the user, and will assume positions conforming to the contour of the users body. The hook 20 secured to the middle of the-supporting frame B at the upper edge thereof, which is hooked over the cross-brace 17, both prevents the supporting frame B from sagging at its middle, and also stiffens the whole device by preventing the cross-brace 17 from bowing outwardly.

The supporting frame B can be adjusted to any height desired, from a position in which said supporting frame is fiat on they bed to a position in which said supporting frame is vertical. This adjustment is made by changing the lengths of the props. This may be done in one or both of two ways, first by loosening the set-screws 14 and by moving the collars 13 up or "down on the tubular rods 11, and second by loosening the set-screws 12 and by moving the tubular rods 11, together with the collars 13, up or down on the rods 10.

The back-rest hereinbefore described may be easily knocked down or collapsed into a small compass and when collapsed may be conveniently stored or carried from place to place. To collapse the back-rest, the supporting frame B is lifted over the ends of the rods 10 and 11, and the slotted end of the cross-brace 17 is raised to bring the slot 18 therein out of engagement with the screw 16 secured to the collar 13. Next, the props, consisting of the rods 10 and 11, and the cross-brace 17 are folded down on the base frame A, the props fitting into the clips 21. The supporting frame B is folded on top of the props and the cross-brace 17 The base frame A and the supporting frame B are then collapsed by loosening the thumbnuts of the bolts 2 which clamp the bars of the side members 1 together, and bending inwardly each of the pairs of the links 4, at the same time pulling the side members 1 toward each other. The parts are arranged so that the different bars and links of the base frame A and of the supporting frame B will overlap or lie side by side, in order that the whole device can be collapsed into a small compass.

The construction shown and hereinbefore described may be changed considerably Without departing from the invention, and I do not wish to be restricted to the details of the construction shown and described.

What I claim is:

1. A folding back-rest comprising a collapsible base frame, a collapsible supporting frame hinged flatwise at one end to said base frame, said base frame and said supporting frame each consisting of resilient bars which are pivotally connected, extensible props pivotally connected to said base frame near its back edge and foldable into a plane parallel thereto, and sliding collars adjustably secured on said props, said supporting frame resting on said collars, whereby said frames and props can be folded parallel to each other and collapsed into a compact bundle.

2. A back-rest comprising a base frame, a collapsible supporting frame hinged at one end flatwise to said base frame, said base frame and said supporting frame each consisting of resilient bars which are pivotally connected, props pivotally connected to said base frame, each of said props comprising telescoping rods, collars on the outer rods adjustably secured to said props and supporting said supporting frame, and means for clamping the telescoping rods of each prop together.

3. A back-rest comprising a collapsible base frame, a collapsible supporting frame hinged fiatwise at one end to said base frame, said base frame and said supporting frame each consisting of resilient bars which are pivotally connected, props pivotally connected to said base frame, collars adjustably secured to said props, a cross-brace extending between said collars and connected thereto, the free end of said supporting frame beingsupported by said cross-brace, and a hook secured to said supporting frame near the middle of the free edge thereof and arranged to hook over said cross-brace.

4:. A back-rest comprising a base frame and a supporting frame hinged together, said base frame and said supporting frame each comprising side members adjustable in length, two pairs of resilient bars pivotally connected at their middles, each bar of each of said pairs of bars being pivotally connected at one end to the opposing bar of the other pair and at its other end to the corresponding end of the corresponding side member, a pair of links pivotally connected together and pivotally connected between each end of each side member and the corresponding pivotally connected ends of said pairs of bars, and means for adjusting said supporting frame-at different angles relatively to said base frame.

Signed at St. Louis, Missouri, this 19th day of February, 1915.

RUDOLPH HENGKE.

Witnesses:

NEIL D. PREsToN, MARTHA A. SHELTON.

I Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G." 

